Shows
The CatalystPatricia Mweene: Expert Jeweler and Sustainability Driver Within Zambia and Beyond"Patricia Inonge Mweene is the Founder and Executive Director of INONGE ZITA – a sustainable gemstone company brand based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Born in Lusaka and raised in Ndola, Zambia, a mining town near the emerald mines of Lufwanyama, Patricia is a leader in promoting local value addition to raw materials at their source. Her innovative framework, “Design Thinking for Extractive Communities,” engages ASM communities in Africa to add value to their natural resources, creating economically viable value chains that lead to sustainable job creation for the youth and women who are disproportionately affected by unemployment. With strategic advisory for corpor...
2024-07-1539 min
The CatalystArielle Patrick: Chief Executive and Relationship BuilderWunderkinds, by definition, are rare. A synonym for child prodigy, a "wunderkind" is someone who succeeds in a competitive or highly difficult field or profession at an early age. For this episode of The Catalyst, I interviewed the woman who was the youngest SVP at Edelman and is now one of a handful of Black C-Suite executives on Wall Street. Who is this wunderkind? None other than Arielle Patrick, Chief Communications Officer at Ariel Investments. One of my greatest lessons from my first year in investment banking is the necessity of trust within relationships, so...
2023-05-2825 min
The CatalystEpisode 011: Oana StănescuAn architect by trade and an artist by birthright, Oana Stănescu is a multi-hyphenate whose work inspires musings of community and play. Raised in Romania amidst the revolution that ousted Nicolae Ceausescu, Oana grew up understanding a fundamental truth: worlds can, and do, change—often when you least expect. This reality taught her to create her own world. Utilizing architecture as her domain, Oana has created several worlds, often bridging the gap between a discipline known for its permanence with several others. This ability to work across cross-disciplinary lines has lead to iconic projects. Notably, the 50-foot stage-prop vol...
2023-01-2045 min
The CatalystEpisode 010: Professor Ralph Richard BanksBefore The World Ended, I took a course on the economic life of women which demonstrated to me that, historically, marriage has been an economic booster for all parties involved but especially for women (many reasons for this but consider the system of primogeniture as well as the cultural and economic consequences of patriarchy and their adverse effects on the economic lives of women). Curious to discover how this economic booster functioned contemporarily for black women in the United States, my research and final paper led me to one Ralph Richard Banks—a professor at Stanford Law School and th...
2021-10-2452 minThe CatalystEpisode 009: United States Ambassador Swanee HuntDo you know those people who laugh easily, put you at ease and who seem to recognize you, not as who you necessarily are, but as who you could be? For Episode 009 of The Catalyst, I had the honor of sitting down with such a person: United States Ambassador Swanee Hunt. In conversation with her, one notices that Ambassador Hunt is a woman with a wealth of wisdom and a sense of humor that is clever in its delivery and Texan in its candor. By that, I mean not only will the Ambassador make you smile, but she'll make...
2021-07-0754 minThe CatalystEpisode 008: Lydia Fenet...The Most Powerful Woman in the Room"I can raise a million dollars in ten minutes." These were the words the ladies of The Synergist and myself heard as we listened, intently, to everything The Most Powerful Woman in the Room had to say. Well, it was a Zoom room, but, alas, this is our new reality. When I finally got the opportunity to tell Lydia Fenet how powerful I found her statement to be and inquired on how she could possibly raise a million dollars in ten minutes, she smiled and said, "I could raise a million dollars in five minutes if you let me."...
2021-01-1534 minThe CatalystEpisode 007: Kim HeirstonAs a lover of art myself, I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak Kim Heirston, a Yale-educated international art advisor whose love for art is just as profound as her desire to share it with the masses.
Speaking with her on a host of topics, from the Culture Wars of the 1980s to the importance of nature to the need to take time and give art the viewership it begs, this episode of The Catalyst was curated with art-lovers in mind and especially for those who appreciate art for art's sake.
Kim Heirston is...
2020-05-2900 minThe CatalystEpisode 007: Zemedeneh Negatu“Impact is multifaceted," Zemedeneh Negatu said as he passionately spoke of the ripple effects that home-grown Ethiopian Airlines has had, not only in Africa but beyond the continent as well.In this episode of The Catalyst, Audrey Dilgarde spoke with Zemedeneh Negatu about all the moments of impact he's been able to catalyze while at the helm of his global private equity firm, Fairfax Africa Fund. A true global citizen, Negatu comes from Ethiopia and has been able to raise through the ranks of the business world to a great position of influence, which he utilizes to sho...
2020-04-0600 minThe CatalystEpisode 005: Anne Devereux-Mills"Nearly 50 years after coming into this world, I began my life for a second time." This profound reflection is how Anne Devereux-Mills begins her new book, The Parlay Effect: How Female Connection Can Change the World.For this episode of The Catalyst, Audrey Dilgarde spoke with Anne Devereux-Mills, Founder and Chief Instigator of Parlay House, a series of salons that have created a global community built upon connection, about her life's journey and the power of small, positive change. To find out more this modern-day salon, visit the Parlay House website here.Be sure to...
2020-01-2900 minThe CatalystEpisode 004: Dr. Joia Mukherjee"Medicine is not exclusively biological." This nuanced statement intrigued me as Dr. Joia Mukherjee spoke of her years in global health during a guest lecture in a recent class I took, Infectious Diseases and Social Injustice. Beyond being a professor at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Joia also spends her time as the Chief Medical Officer of Partners in Health––a Boston based international nonprofit and charity dedicated to providing a preferential option for the poor in health care. Although she's extremely busy with her professorship and CMO role, Dr. Joia was quoted in a recent feature as sayi...
2020-01-1200 minThe CatalystEpisode 003: Marie and MaureenI first encountered Marie Griffin during the annual Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business Intercollegiate Business Convention, where she was delivering a keynote speech. During her speech, Marie spoke of her journey from being an editor at Seventeen Magazine, to working in Paris, to starting her own namesake company and working with clients that range from Hermes to Dior Beauty to the Wall Street Journal. What was most fascinating about Marie, besides her adventurous journey and career, was a program and guide she created titled, "What’s Your CATNIP?™"––an immersive talk about the power that one possesses when one is in-tun...
2020-01-0100 minThe CatalystEpisode 002: Evan WesleyWhen I first met Evan Wesley, I was running an election to become an International Trustee for Key Club International—the world’s largest and oldest high school service organization. It was during my time and extensive involvment in Key Club International that Evan and I bonded over our mutual love and passion for public service, activism and our belief that young people are key in solving some of the world’s most critical issues.In this episode, I sat down with my old friend to discuss the incredible work and impact he’s catalyzed while at the helm...
2019-12-2300 minThe CatalystEpisode 001: Dean KhuranaBefore the start of my second semester, I participated in a mindfulness program with fellow Harvard classmates where the dean of our college, Dean Rakesh Khurana, spoke to us during an intimate group conversation. A moment that stuck out to me the most from the conversation was when Dean Khurana said, “focus on doing things that will lead to a worthy obituary rather than resume-building.”
2019-12-2300 min
2019-10-2830 min